Aflac Workforces Report

Executive Summary

The 2015 Aflac WorkForces Report is the fifth annual Aflac employee benefits study examining benefit trends and attitudes. The study captured responses from 1,977 benefits decision-makers and 5,337 employees across the U.S. in various industries.

Workers’ financial woes

The economy is showing signs of improving, but Americans’ bank accounts are in need of resuscitation: Put simply, anemic pay raises combined with sharp increases in out-of-pocket health care costs have creditors knocking on many consumers’ doors

Small business trends fact sheet

Small businesses aren’t usually known for their competitive benefits packages, but the fifth annual Aflac WorkForces Report shows a distinct shift toward improved workplace offerings for businesses with 3-99 employees. These businesses also seem to be getting ahead of changes to health care, and their employees reveal just how much they really know when making their benefits selections.

The role of voluntary benefits

Articles

Multigenerational Workplace

When a hiring manager is lucky, the hiring process is like a seller’s market – the supply of potential employees exceeds the demand. But with the brightest employees, it’s usually a buyer’s market – the best employees have their pick of employers. That’s why it’s imperative to offer the total employment package: not just a competitive salary, but perks and strong benefits as well.

Wellness Trends

The fifth annual Aflac WorkForces Report reveals the growing prominence of wellness programs in the workplace and finds possible links between successful programs and the employer's approach to their overall benefits program and strong benefits communications.

More employers are offering wellness programs than ever before. This year, close to half of the 1,977 business decision-makers surveyed reported offering a company-sponsored wellness program, which is up from 30 percent in 2012. Insurance brokers noted a similar trend, and just over half (53 percent) agree1 they regularly recommend wellness programs to their clients.

Use benefits to tame millennials' job-hopping ways

U.S. workers' habits and demands are constantly evolving. Today's employees aren't like those of yesteryear - they don't take jobs and remain in place until it's time to collect a pension and a gold watch. Companies have changed too, making the promise of a pension and a fancy timepiece rare.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, millennials switch jobs an average of every 3.2 years. At that rate, they'll hold 14 jobs over the course of a 45-year career. No company wants to invest time and money into training an employee only to lose that worker to another employer, and especially not to a competitor. Given the importance millennials place on workplace benefits - 24 percent of them say an overall benefits package is extremely important to employer loyalty – benefits options may be key to convincing them to remain in place.

Latino employees value workplace benefits and are looking for opportunities for growth

The National Council of La Raza estimates by 2050 that 1 in 3 working Americans will be Hispanic. These employees desire to be more engaged in benefits and they're looking for new opportunities for growth, but is your company tailoring benefits and communications to their needs? Gain key strategies to boost retention and productivity by adapting your approach to a growing workforce demographic.

Wellness Program Trends

The fourth annual Aflac WorkForces Report identifies benefits trends and challenges based on responses from 5,209 employees and 1,856 business decision-makers across the U.S. The 2014 study provided an in-depth look at employee wellness programs, clearly pointing to what effective programs do differently and how employees benefit from programs offered at their workplace.

Proof that wellness programs impact more than waistlines

Companies that believe their wellness programs are effective are more likely to approach benefits differently than their peers. Typically, these companies offer a variety of programs, tailor benefits at different life stages, and focus on effective benefits communication and enrollment. It’s no wonder these businesses appear to see a positive effect on their workforces.

5 components of a successful wellness program

Companies with effective wellness programs are implementing benefits differently to promote a culture of wellness and, as a result, have happier and better prepared employees. Build an employee wellness program that helps contain health care costs and improve employee engagement with these five practical tips.

4 simple ways to win talent like a ‘Best Place to Work’

Small companies can’t always offer their employees the pay or stock options that larger competitors can, but that doesn’t mean your business can’t make a winning appeal to the best, brightest and most driven employees.

Turning Tables: How Benefit Decisions Will Impact Employers

The tables have turned this year’s open enrollment season. Historically open enrollment focused on the importance of benefits decisions for workers, however this year it ushers in equally critical benefit decisions for employers.

Coverage underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus. Group coverage underwritten by Continental American Insurance Company, which is not licensed to solicit business in Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands. For groups sitused
in California, group coverage is underwritten by Continental American Life Insurance Company. For individual coverage in New York or coverage for groups sitused in New York, coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of New
York.

†One Day PaySM available for most properly documented, individual claims submitted online through Aflac SmartClaim® by 3 PM ET. Aflac SmartClaim® not available on the following: Short Term Disability (excluding Accident and Sickness Riders), Life, Vision, Dental, Medicare Supplement, Long Term Care/Home Health Care, Aflac Plus Rider and Group policies. Aflac processes most other claims in about four days. Processing time is based on business days after all required documentation needed to render a decision is received & no further validation and / or research is required. Individual Company Statistic, 2015.